Process for the manufacture of strongly curled, woollike twisted yarns of endless threads



G. RUTISHAUSER 2,356,887 PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF STRONGLY CURLED,

Aug. 29, 1944..

WOOL-LIKE TWISTED YARNS OF ENDLESS THREADS Filed April 27, 1943 G'EOEG Fans/massed y w s Patented Aug. 29, 1944 FFlCiE PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF STRONGLY CURLED, WOOLLIKE TWISTE YARNS OF ENDLESS THREADS Georg Rutishauser, Triboltingen, Switzerland Application April 27, 1943, Serial No. 484,760 In Switzerland May 9, 1942 9 Claims.

ning band or spinning roving, are used, but all of these processes possess the common feature that the endless single filaments must be cut or broken in a certain manner and then be drawn and twisted in order to thus obtain the exterior character of a wool or cotton yarn.

It has now been found that it is possible to produce a wool-like, highly voluminous yarn without carrying out the multiple, hitherto partly difiicult and expensive individual operations of cutting, recombining and compressing the fibres.

The present invention consists in that the individual filaments and the crimping arcs of a preferably fiat fibre bundle of chemically as well as mechanically curled endless threads, which bundle shows approximately the same titre as the final product (final yarn), are displaced longitudinally and transversely in such a manner relatively to one another and in the various planes, that the fibre bundle is greatly loosened, causing thereby the volume of the so-obtained entangled structure to become at least times, preferably 30 to 40 times, greater (than the unloosened flat fibre bundle) and in that the fibre structure loosened in this way is thereafter converted into the desired wool-like yarn of curled endless threads by slightly rounding and twisting it without applying any drawing and stretching operation. The yarn so-obtained is characterised by excellent properties, such as for instance by a big volume and a remarkable power of maintaining heat, moreover by a high twisting, elasticity and strength. Thus the present process differs from the known art, wherein the bands, rovings and yarns consist of staggered individual filaments (staples). The latter structures possess especially in form of bands and roves only a low strength, but the same are capable of being drafted and may suitably be diminished with respect to the titre by means oi drawing operations. Only by the last twist movement (twisting) do these articles get the desired strength.

On the other hand, the yarns obtainable ac-' cording to the present invention cannot be stretched, that is to say that it is impossible to stretch them by horizontally displacing the individual filaments with regard to one another, as the yarns consist of endless threads. Therefore, further working-up (attenuation) of the yarns by meansof an apparatus, for example by means of a drawing device or a spinning machine is impossible. However, the yarns obtainable according to the invention which may be single or manifold twisted are especially suitable as hand working yarns, but they may also be directed to manually or automatically executed knitting,

' threads.

braiding, weaving and crochet operations.

According to the present invention many working steps are excluded which hitherto have been absolutely necessary, so that there results not only a considerable decrease of the costs for the final product, but also a substantial improvement of the textile properties of such yarns. Thus, yarns having no out or broken individual filaments show the strength of a smooth artificial yarn, i. e. the complete substance strength of all the fibres. Besides, the elongation of such yarns is very considerable and consists of the full curliness elongation and of the specific elongation of the smooth individual filaments. Therefore, the elongation is much higher than that of the, usually stapled yarns or of smooth artificial yarns. of the new yarns constitutes the maximum of that disclosed hitherto. The strong equal curliness of each single fibre will thus fully come to effect in the yarn. Besides, it is not necessary to twist the yarns to a considerable extent in order to obtain a sufficient tensile strength. The threads in these yarns do not seem to have a definite length as for instance 3 to 12 em, but i to be endless long continuous and cohering For this reason these yarns are highly elastic. The filaments are disposed in the yarn in entangled manner'like spiral springs and operate on tension and subsequent relieving with their full elasticity in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the filaments.

In spite of the considerable loosening the yarn shows a good interconnection transversely to the longitudinal axis inasmuch as the threads overlap each other, the longitudinal cohesion being still better, as the same is completely maintained by the continuous endless long filaments. Due to the loosened threads a very voluminous textile structure is obtained which is very light like down and which can subsequently be slightly rounded It must be pointed out that the volume and, by a slight tension, be more or less strongly twisted, e. g. on a fly or ring spindle or on a cap spinning device. It is of importance that all these operations are carried out without draft or drawing, so that the almost ideal uniformity of the titre (such as in the case of unstapled artificial fibres) is exactly maintained and that a completely uniform thick, roundish, very voluminous yam is obtained which is free from nops and cut portions and possesses an excellent covering power and also a considerable power of maintaining heat.

When, on loosening the curled bands or on intentionally staggering the filaments and crimping arcs, some of the filaments are broken, the properties of the new yarn are not damaged; contrarily this may be of advantage, as on twisting the broken little fibres will laterally project from the yarn structure and, therefore, increase the wool character of the yarn. Of course, it is also possible to intentionally increase the number of the broken fibres in order to produce a delusive appearance of a stapled yarn.

The present process is especially suitable for working-up endless artificial silk threads. In this case, just such a heavy endless fibre bundle will be produced at the delivery place for the artificial fibres, e. g. during the dry spinning process, as corresponds approximately to the titre of the desired final yarn, whereupon the curling operation is directly or subsequently carried out. Preferably, the fibre bundle or several fibre stance to a spindle which gives the required twisting to the yarn so that it may then be wound on bobbins, reels or the like. After this procedure the yarn can, if desired, be subjected to a single or manifold twisting and to any further textile operation.

For loosening purposes the fiat curled thread bands can be treated for example between two cams or brackets covered with velvet, leather or plush. During this procedure, for instance, the lower bracket will substantially cause an advancing movement of the bands, while the upper bundles are spread out in form of a fiat band and the curling is simultaneously carried out so that the curliness will be as complete and equal as possible. The curled band may then directly or after having passed a winding apparatus, e. g. spools and the like or so-called spinning pots, be subjected to the loosening treatment.

According to the invention it is also possible to treat threads of natural silk in the described manner after having curled the same in a suitable manner in order to produce yarns sufficient for maximum requirements with respect to the capacity of maintaining heat. Likewise, alter a suitable curling operation, natural fibre yarns may also be worked-up according to this invention.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, there will now be explained by way of example only, and with the aid of the accompanying drawing, a preferred manner of working.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate diagrammatically the invention.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic showing of loosening apparatus.

According to Fig. 1 one or several newly spun fibre bundles coming from the spinning apparatus are delivered at I (dry spinning process). At 2 the fibre bundle or bundles'are conducted over humid rolls and treated at 3 with curling rolls of a known type, whereupon they are wound on or reeled at 4 on a reel, spool or the like. As shown in Fig. 2 the hank 4 thus reeled or wound is again unwound. The curled thread band 5 is then treated in the loosening apparatus 6 in such a manner that its volume becomes at least 15 times greater and that all of the filaments and crimping arcs are alternately staggered as far as possible. For this purpose it will be advantageous to use the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 and described below. Then, the loosened downy structure is slightly rounded as illustrated at 9, and is subsequently led toa. spindle, for inbracket will preferably make a circular, semicircular or elliptical movement. A loosening apparatus is described for example in Fig. 3. The curled thread band 5 is supplied to the main apparatus by means of feed rollers II) with a determined speed. From these feed rollers the curled band 5 is led to the drum II being a roller covered with velvet, plush or card wire band or the like. The surface speed of the feed rollers is substantially higher than that of the drum.

The latter is arranged somewhat higher than the feed rollers, so that in every case the curled band running therethrough must rest upon the tips of the drum.

The substantial operation of disentangling takes place, when the curled band passes the tips of the drum. For the loosening of the crimping arcs lying initially in a synchronous order a comb I2 is moved very rapidly across the fibre material, i. e. across the drum. The said comb is moved by a rapidly running cam and a connecting rod I3; the speed of the cam as well as the stroke are adjustable. Due to these adjusting possibilities the loosening degree of the curled band can be controlled in the desired manner.

A further apparatus (not shown) makes it possible to adjust the comb I2 in an exactly determined distance with regard to the drum I I, that is to say to cause the tips of both the comb and drum to mesh into each other. For the comb it is of importance that the tps thereof are directed in the sense of the general thread movement. The tips of the drum can be directed radially or in the sense of the general thread movement or also in the opposite manner.

When the article leaves the main Working zone all of the crimping arcs are displaced int each other and loosened in such a manner that the thread material shows a great resemblance with so-called card sliver, i, e. it has the form of a downy soft fiat band. In order to give the thread band a more roundish form, it is passed through a spinning tube It which produces a so-called false twist. Thereafter the thread band is introduced between a couple of calender rollers I5 having a substantially higher surface speed than the drum I I. The surface speeds of the feed rollers I0 and of the calender rollers I5 are approximately the same so that the degree of curliness of the thread band will be maintained. After having passed through the calender'rollers I5 and the guiding roller I6, which latter is mounted above the centre of the spindle, the thread is wound on the spool I1. Finally the thread I8 obtains the correct twist, whereupon there will result the finished single yarn.

Generally the thread material has a speed of for example 4 to 20 m. per minute. The twists per m./thread amount on the average to so that the number of revolutions of the spindle is about 400 to 2000 per minute. The twists per metre substantially influence the character of the yarn. Moreover, according to the choice of the card wire bands or the kind of plush or velvet provided on the drum and on the comb and to the adjustment of these latter elements with regard to each other, the fibrous properties of the finished yarn can be influenced. Therefore, it is possible to produce according to the invention a curling or loosening operation, but possibly also in the finished yarn or tissue.

What I claim is:

1. A process for the manufacture of strongly curled, wool-like twisted yarns of endless threads which comprises displacing the individual fila ments and the crimping arcs of a fibre bundle consisting of curled endless threads and having approximately the same titre as the final product, longitudinally and transversely in such a manner relatively to one another and in the various planes, that the mass of fibres is strongly loosened and assumes a volume at least times larger, and then converting the resultant loosened fibre mass into the desired wool-like yarn of curled endless threads by slightly rounding and twisting it without applying any drawing and stretching operation.

2. A process according to claim 1, in which the volume of the fibre mass is increased -40 times by Way of loosening.

3. A processaccording to claim 1, in which the thread bundles consist of curled artificial silk threads.

4. Process according to claim 1, in which the thread bundles consist of curled natural silk.

5. Process according to claim 1, in which the thread bundles consist of curled natural fibrous yarn.

6. Process according to curling is effected on a spreaded band consisting of one or more thread bundles and in which the curled band is subjected either directly or after winding to the loosening treatment and to twisting.

7. Process according to claim 1, in which the obtained yarn is so twisted that it can be used as a hand working yarn or for a weaving, knitting, braiding, crochet operation or the like. 8. Process according to claim 1, in which the individual threads are purposely broken to produce a partially stapled yarn having laterally projecting fibres. l

9. The products obtained according to the process of claim 1.

GEORG RUTISHAUSER.

claim 1, in which the 

